PRO BONOSpotlight on serviceTina M. CundariSOWELL GRAYROBINSON STEPP &LAFFITTEBUSINESS LITIGATIONCOLUMBIAWhen Tina Cundari arrived at Sowell Gray Robinsonin 2005, it’s not that the firm’s pro bono committeewas fledging; it was nonexistent.When the firm’s managing partner, Cal Watson,sent out an email a few months after Cundari began,suggesting that the firm increase their pro bono work,her fingers flew to the ‘reply’ button.

“I was easily the first to respond; that’s how Ibecame ‘the person,’” she says with a laugh. “I was soexcited that I immediately responded with thoughtslike, ‘I like this project; I like this project; we can dothis and this and this.’ Cal said, ‘Well, alright, it seemsyou’re the perfect person to co-chair this committee.’”The work began by assisting the occupants ofHannah House, where matters ranged from need-ing help with criminal cases and divorce to driver’slicense-revocations and custody issues.

Just Do ItTina Cundari’s simple motto for giving back BY AMY WHITE“It never occurred to me, until I began handlingthese divorce cases, how critically important it is forthese women to get their name back,” Cundari says.

“To be able to move on from a relationship that hasrooted them in a tough spot, that was abusive oremotionally traumatic ... once the matter is resolved,it’s very liberating for them.”Cundari worked on a particularly meaningful casefor a resident of Sistercare, another women’s shelter.

“She lost custody of her child because the Department of Social Services said she wasn’t properly
taking care of her,” she says. “But the reality of the
situation was that she was simply very poor, so taking
proper care of her child wasn’t that easy. I did the
appeal on that case, took it all the way to the [state]
Supreme Court, but lost. As a matter of fact, there
are many of these types of matters that I’ve taken